STC RMC is a non-profit organization and relies on volunteers to plan and carry out the mission of the organization. Volunteer positions vary from holding an elected office to writing one blog article.

We're all busy people, and yet we volunteer our time to this organization and others. I'm interested in your thoughts and experiences regarding volunteering:

• What do you like?
• What works for you?
• Why do you volunteer?
• What ideas do you have that would allow and encourage more people to participate?

Here are my answers:

• I like the sense of community I get from volunteering on a regular basis. I make great friends and am empowered to extend myself and learn new things. Plus I enjoy the synergy that occurs when individuals come together and create something bigger than the sum of the individual efforts exerted.
• I need flexibility. Sometimes I have very little time, and sometimes I have bursts of energy where I can achieve more. If the work is flexible, I can participate in this flow as it fits my life.
• I volunteer for STC RMC in order to grow professionally. For example, I had never been a webmaster until I volunteered for the chapter. Who knows...this may lead to job opportunities in the future. I also know the value of networking and really getting to know others in the group. It's hard to really get to know someone from just monthly chapter meetings, but working with the other council members led me to a new job this year, and that's significant!
• I would like to see us divide our larger jobs into smaller or shared positions. I feel like this may be preventing some people from volunteering. I would also like to see us organize the work differently. For some tasks, we may be able to hold a "work day" where people could participate for, say, 3-4 hours one day without committing to perform a task all year. This sort of change will take planning and organization, but I think it would be effective for certain tasks.

So, now it's your turn. Let's talk about how to make volunteering better in STC RMC!

Becky Williams